There are more than 200 acres of fossil beds at the park, but some of them are under water as much as 80 percent of the year. A window of opportunity is opening for those who want to have a look at the otherwise inaccessible beds.

Park Naturalist Patrick Haulter says the brief access is made possible by the Army Corps of Engineers, which will temporarily close certain gates at the McAlpine Dam.

“A lot of people haven’t done it, and I tell you, if you’re somebody who lives in the area, it’s a very interesting thing to do. You’re actually almost standing in the middle of the river when you’re out there,” he said.

Haulter says the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretive Center will be shut down at the end of November for a 5-point-5 million dollar renovation. It will reopen in the summer of 2015.